Amnesty International criticized Pakistan's plans to execute 500 prisoners as deeply disturbing. The executions would not protect civilians from conflict with the Taliban. Pakistan suffered a tragedy in Peshawar with 142 deaths, but resorting to large-scale executions will not address the underlying problems facing communities at risk of violence in northwest Pakistan. Amnesty is also concerned about flaws in Pakistan's legal system and fair trial standards for death penalty cases.

1. 22 December 2014
Pakistan: Plans to execute 500 more prisoners ‘deeply
disturbing’
Pakistan's reported plans to execute 500 more people are “deeplydisturbing” and would do nothing to protect civilians
from the conflict with the Taliban,Amnesty International said today.
The reports come following the execution of six people in the pastfour days in the wake of the deadly Taliban attack on a
school in Peshawar.
“The planned execution figures being quoted are deeplydisturbing and indicate a huge regression from a government
which until lastweek maintained a moratorium on executions,” said David Griffiths,Amnesty International’s DeputyAsia -
Pacific Director.
“Pakistan suffered an horrific tragedy in Peshawar lastweek,but resorting to the death penalty and threatening to carry
out large numbers ofexecutions masks rather than addresses the underlying problems thatneed to be tackled by the
government – namelythat communities living in the north-westof Pakistan are gravely at risk from violence and human
rights abuses.”
Senior Pakistani governmentofficials reportedlytold the Agence France-Presse news agencythat 500 convicts had
“exhausted all appeals” and would be putto death “in the coming weeks”.
Pakistani media have also reported that55 people convicted of terrorism-related offences are setto be hanged in the
next few days after their mercy petitions were rejected.
“The speed with which these executions are taking place raises big questions abouthow meaningful the review of the
mercy petitions – the lastsafeguards in death penaltycases – has been in a country where trials are systemically
flawed,” said David Griffiths.
“Not only would executing death row prisoners do nothing to protectcivilians caughtup in this conflict, it co uld ratchet up
the already very high level of violence in Pakistan.”
On Friday, Pakistan carried out its first executions since 2012 when two men convicted over their role in two separate
Taliban attacks were hanged.A further four people have since been executed.
The governmentlifted a moratorium on executions for those tried of terrorism -related charges lastweek in response to
the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar thatkilled at least142 people.
The Ministry of Interior has since forwarded hundreds ofmercypetitions related to terror cases to the President.
Prisoners are atrisk of imminentexecution once their mercy petitions have been rejected.
In Pakistan,many death sentences are handed down after trials that do not meetinternational fair trial standards.
One death row prisoner is ShafqatHussein,who was 14 at the time of his arrest.His lawyers say he was convicted on
the basis ofa single piece ofevidence - a “‘confession”’ extracted after nine days of torture.
International law prohibits torture and the imposition ofcapital punishmentfor crimes committed by persons below 18
years of age, as well as guaranteeing everyone's rightto a fair trial.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases withoutexception, regardless ofthe nature or
circumstances ofthe crime;guilt, innocence or other characteristics ofthe individual;or the method used by the state to
carry out the execution.